This invention relates to automated manufacturing of integrated circuits, and more particularly to a method of utilizing automated process control to characterize and implement both new generation processes and existing generation processes.
The process of manufacturing an integrated circuit is highly complex and requires hundreds of process steps to convert a semiconductor material to a working integrated circuit. To implement an integrated circuit manufacturing process, enormous capital expenditures are required to build the manufacturing facility (a "fab"). In addition, to remain competitive in the marketplace a manufacturer of integrated circuits must rapidly develop new generations of design and process technologies. For example, present turnaround time for DRAM type technology is three years or less. Accordingly, process development time is a critical factor in such environments, and thus, the development and transfer of newly developed technology to volume manufacturing should be as rapid as possible. Further, once a new technology has reached volume production, there remains a need for optimizing the efficiencies of the manufacturing operation in order to obtain the highest process yields possible. The inventors herein have observed that a need exists for a method of systematically developing new manufacturing technology and systematic methods to apply such technology to a high volume manufacturing operation. The inventors herein have also observed that a need exists for a method for improving the efficiencies of the manufacturing technology even after the technology has been implemented in a manufacturing operation.